NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Season 11, Episode 12 of When Calls the Heart.
Hello, Hearties! Welcome to the recap for June 23rd’s season finale of When Calls the Heart, titled “Anything for Love”. Can you believe that we have already reached the end of season 11? I definitely can’t.
The finale episode had a lot going on, including a wedding, some sweet moments between Hope Valley’s newest couple, and quite the cliffhanger. Let’s recap!
Lee's Grand Vision
Lucas’ “Grand Vision” has obviously crumbled now that the resort is a no-go. He’s taking some major heat from the press for the resort’s cancellation, his secretiveness about the resort bids, and his ties to Jeanette Aucoin (or shall I call her Mr. Shaw?). Some outlets are even calling for Lucas’ resignation as Governor.
As Lee and Rosemary walk through town, Lee tells her he might have some ideas for how the land they sold to Lucas for the resort can be used now. He thinks it should be utilized for something that can leave a real legacy, something that Goldie will enjoy years from now.
Later on, Rosemary and Lee meet with Lucas in the saloon. Lucas first apologizes to them for being so secretive about what was going on with the resort. Then Lee tells him his idea for the resort land- to turn it into a national park with trails and campsites. It would still benefit local towns, although not as much as the resort, and they would be preserving something special. Lucas seems receptive to the idea.
Lucas has been beating himself up due to his missteps with the resort- how can he trust his own judgment? But now, after hearing Lee’s ideas and realizing just how much he wants to be Governor even if some want him to resign, it seems he has a new direction and renewed motivation. At one point we see him working in the saloon with various materials about Yellowstone National Park and Yosemite National Park. It looks like the old Lucas is back, which is good because I missed him!
Later on, Lucas fills Bill and Henry in on Lee’s national park idea, and they both think it’s great. As they chat with Lee and Rosemary near the end of the episode, Lucas says it’s clear he has to return to Capital City to do his job as Governor. Then he asks Lee if he would consider joining him there to get the park going. I guess we’ll have to wait until next season to see if Lee ends up leaving Hope Valley!
Wedding Prep & A Missing Groom
Mike and Mei are getting married! The wedding is only one day away and Mike is feeling calm and happy when in the saloon with Lee at the start of the episode. But then he begins to wonder, is he supposed to be nervous? Is he jinxing the wedding? He didn’t get Mei an engagement ring- is that bad luck? All of a sudden, Mike is feeling anxious about somehow messing up the wedding because they aren’t exactly following all the typical wedding traditions.
Meanwhile, in the cafe’s kitchen, Faith and Minnie are working on the wedding cake while awaiting a surprise for Mei. The surprise in question is the one and only Fiona, who has been missing this entire season. She has been down in Nashville fighting for women’s rights, but she made the trip to Hope Valley for Mike and Mei’s wedding.
Fiona walks in the cafe door and Mei is delighted to see her, as are Faith and Minnie. Fiona also brought Mei’s wedding dress with her, which everyone “oohs and ahhs” over. Also, Fiona will be serving as Mike’s “best woman” at the wedding!
Later on, Mei receives a telegram from her brother. His ship is leaving early and he won’t be able to make the wedding. Mei is clearly disappointed as this was why they wanted to get married so quickly in the first place.
Back at the saloon, Lee tells Mike that he can take as much time off as he wants after the wedding for the honeymoon. Mike asks if that also applies for today because his mother wants him to visit one last time before he’s married.
It seems Mike decided to visit for more than just a little while because he is now missing on the day of his and Mei’s wedding! The whole town is worried and all they can figure out is Mike got on a train to Buxton. Mike had been so worried about the wedding going poorly because they weren’t following traditions, so did he get cold feet? Lee accidentally gives Mei the idea that Mike indeed might have, but Rosemary assures her that Mike always has warm feet. He’s dependable and he loves Mei.
However, with Mike still missing, Mei is having a slight breakdown in the cafe when Rosemary arrives to do some damage control. She tells Mei that she knows Hickam and he must have a good reason for not being here. Mei believes that too, so she starts getting ready for her wedding.
Mike and Mei's Wedding
Mike shows back up in the saloon while Bill, Lee, Ned, Nathan, Lucas, and Henry are discussing his possible whereabouts. He tells them that he needs their help with something.
Mei is all dressed and ready, and all her girls tell her how beautiful she looks. That’s when they hear some noise coming from the street. What could it be?
This is what Mike needed help with! A bunch of Hope Valley residents, led by Mike, are walking toward the cafe while playing Shanghainese drums and cymbals in celebration. But that’s not all Mike has planned! He gives Mei a beautiful engagement ring and one more surprise- her brother. Mike talked Bo’s captain into releasing him early but it took a little while, which is why he had been cutting it close time-wise.
Everyone heads over to the church for the actual wedding ceremony, officiated by Joseph. Mike and Mei exchange rings and kiss in front of everyone they love. A beautiful reception in the saloon follows, complete with decorations and a cake by Minnie.
Hope Valley's Newest Couple
Elizabeth and Nathan are freshly coupled up after last week’s confessions of love and first kiss (catch up here if you missed it). This week’s episode opened with Elizabeth telling Rosemary about their first kiss- because who can keep something like that from their best friend? She also tells her that she and Nathan are officially together but she would like to keep it quiet until they have a chance to tell Little Jack and Allie.
As they’re talking, Nathan knocks at Elizabeth’s door. Rosemary rushes out, promising to keep her lips zipped about the new couple (except for telling Lee, of course). After she leaves, Nathan and Elizabeth share a kiss before leaving for Little Jack’s riding lesson.
In the Hope Valley stables, Nathan and Elizabeth share another smooch before Nathan mentions that they finally might be able to go on that picnic together. Little Jack hears him and is so excited- he loves picnics! So much for alone time… this one’s going to be a family picnic with Little Jack and Allie.
In the jail, Nathan begins to tell Allie that he and Elizabeth are officially a couple. However, Allie has already picked up on that (they aren’t as subtle as they think) and is very happy for them. However, she feels bad that she and Little Jack will be crashing their picnic. When she offers to watch Jack, Nathan tells her “what could be better than being with my favorite people in one place”. Aw!
On the family picnic, Allie tries to give Nathan and Elizabeth some alone time by taking Jack to pick berries. Nathan asks Elizabeth to be his date to Mike and Mei’s wedding, but Elizabeth says she wants to talk to Little Jack first.
Elizabeth does talk to Jack, shortly after the picnic. He’s thrilled at the prospect of spending more time with Nathan and Allie, and not bothered by the idea of Nathan and Elizabeth spending some time together. He just thinks they’ll talk about boring adult stuff.
Nathan stops over at Elizabeth’s house later that night, and she tells him that she will be his date to the wedding. The two also exchange secrets- Elizabeth’s being that she once kissed a potato because her sister told her she would get her heart’s desire if she did.
Nathan’s secret is a bit more serious. When he was offered an inspector position in Union City a few years ago, Elizabeth was the reason he wanted to take it. He found himself falling for her and it felt wrong because he had asked to be assigned to Hope Valley to protect her after Jack’s death. Elizabeth says she never wanted anyone to know, but she dreaded the idea of another Mountie coming to Hope Valley. She was worried she would despise him because he was alive and Jack was not.
“Then you found out that Jack took my place at the training mission,” Nathan says. Elizabeth tells him that he is not responsible for Jack’s death. There may have been a bunch of what-ifs in their past, but now here they are. Happy. Together. They tell each other “I love you”.
After the reception, Elizabeth and Nathan walk home and discuss fate and soulmates. They are interrupted by Mountie Superintendent Hargraves, who was Nathan’s superior officer at Fort Clay. Nathan assumes that he’s in Hope Valley to speak with him, but Hargraves says he actually needs to speak with Elizabeth about her late husband.
And that was the final line of the episode… a true cliffhanger.
Other Important Notes
As per usual, there’s a lot going on in Hope Valley. Here are some other highlights from the season finale:
- Bill attempts to make up with Rosemary by giving her Pike’s case file to keep as a souvenir. However, that’s not enough for Rosemary. Bill had asked her to trust him, but he hadn’t trusted her enough to tell her the truth about what Lucas remembered about the night of the shooting. Instead, she had to hear about it from Jeanette Aucoin. Bill apologizes for letting her down and admits that they made a good team.
- Angela mentions in front of her mom that Elizabeth has spoken to her about a school in Hamilton that trains teachers to teach students that are visually impaired. Perhaps it would be a good fit for Angela in the future. Minnie asks Elizabeth about it, and Elizabeth tells her a bit about the school. Minnie is clearly not a fan of the idea of Angela being so far away from home, and Elizabeth apologizes for overstepping. Minnie says that she wasn’t overstepping, she’s just overreacting. Elizabeth doesn’t think she is though. It’s scary to think of your children leaving one day.
- While in town, Fiona tries to convince Faith to move to Nashville with her. The city is desperate for doctors and they could certainly use help with the women’s rights movement. However, at Mike and Mei’s reception, Faith tells Fiona she has already found her purpose here in Hope Valley as she gazes over at Lily. It doesn’t look like Faith is going anywhere anytime soon!
- Before attending Mike and Mei’s wedding with Nathan, Elizabeth gives Lucas a heads-up. Lucas says he is fine, and Elizabeth says she knows he is.
That's all for the season finale, Hearties!
What do you think Hargraves has to say to Elizabeth? He said “late husband”, specifically, so I don’t think any theory of Jack being alive somehow is the direction they’re going with this. So, what could he need to talk with her about years after Jack’s death? I guess we’ll have to wait until season 12, which will premiere in 2025, to find out.
What did you think of the season finale? Let me know down below. I am sad to say that you cannot join me for another recap next week- we’ll have to wait a while for that. However, you can catch up on the rest of my season 11 recaps below.
- When Calls the Heart Premiere Recap (Season 11, Episode 1)
- When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 2 Recap
- When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 3 Recap
- When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 4 Recap
- When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 5 Recap
- When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 6 Recap
- When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 7 Recap
- When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 8 Recap
- When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 9 Recap
- When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 10 Recap
- When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 11 Recap
